Indiana Pacers change starting lineup to get more consistent physicality and defense on the court
CHICAGO — Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle hinted that his team could be headed toward a lineup change over a week ago. But in his team's next outing, no such change was made. The starting group was the same, and they throttled the Charlotte Hornets with a similar rotation to the one they had been using in previous games.
"I thought our practice yesterday was very positive. Our starting group is doing a lot of good things," Carlisle said at the time. "In many ways, they're one of our best lineups. To break it up simply just to break it up, to me did not make sense. But going forward, everything is on the table."
That justification is sound. The Pacers' old starting five of Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Bruce Brown, Obi Toppin, and Myles Turner has a net rating of +19.9 according to NBA.com. That's a fantastic number.
The word old there is key, though. That lineup, despite its success, wasn't leading to victories. Indiana lost six out of eight games coming out of their In-Season Tournament run, and they needed to make a switch. Even if it weakened that starting lineup, finding a rotation that works better for 48 minutes was important for the blue and gold.
Thus, Carlisle made changes, something he hinted at a week prior. In Houston earlier this week, Haliburton and Turner started alongside Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, and Jalen Smith. It looked more like the team's opening five from 2022-23. There is more defense in that unit, though that specific five-man combination had very little experience together prior to Tuesday.
"We needed to get bigger and more physical," Carlisle said, noting that his team needed a more consistent compete level. "It's no direct knock on any of the guys that went out of the starting lineup."
That night in Houston, Indiana was +5 with the new opening group on the court. The lineup was successful even as Turner dealt with foul trouble and Smith exited the game with an injury. They got it done against a rock-solid Rockets team.
"First game was fine, but we're not trying to wave a magic wand here. This is work," Carlisle said.
The group has a clear defensive focus. Nembhard, who is filling in for the injured Bruce Brown, has been an excellent perimeter defender all season long for the blue and gold. There's an argument to be made that he's the best option for containing ball handlers on the roster. He did well containing Fred VanVleet and Coby White this week.
Nesmith is a bulldozing defender on the wing, and Carlisle believes Smith is the team's best rebounder. The young big man is fitting in at the four so far with his physicality and added size. "We've got to keep moving in the direction of physicality, better rebounding. And we've got to keep working at avoiding fouls," the head coach said.
Altogether, those three additions into the starting five have boosted the team's defensive abilities to open games. They've been able to meaningfully slow down two-straight opponents in wins, a strategy that the blue and gold rarely could rely on earlier in the campaign.
"I guess it's just trying to put defense at the forefront, make sure we get off to a good start on the defensive side of the ball," Nesmith said of the opening unit that he is now a part of.
Carlisle has said all season — and he used this phrase again on Thursday before his team battled the Bulls — that his players would have to earn minutes. Nesmith and Smith certainly earned promotions, and Nembhard's play has been a crescendo all season after an inaccurate start. They've all earned the chances they are getting, and it's working for the Pacers.
Nesmith is happy to do whatever it takes to win, and the lineup changes reflect a mirrored desire from the team. He also believes that the mixing and matching the team can now do over the course of a full game works well, which makes for an effective 48-minute rotation.
"I think it's just trying to get the rhythm," he said of the team's lineup combinations. Carlisle was making a ton of substitutions in Houston.
The new-look bench has clicked when paired with some starters. Hield and Bennedict Mathurin have toggled between off and on nights in the two games with a new rotation, but their more-effective games were both impressive. Isaiah Jackson and Toppin have been a mean front court pairing with the second unit — Jackson has not missed a shot since the lineup changes and Toppin was a monster on the glass in Chicago after a seven point, two rebound, three assist outing in Houston.
"I don't think so," Jackson said when asked if the new bench group felt different. "I think both groups had a similar play style. I don't think it felt any different at all."
There have been a decent number of minutes with all four of those bench players and just one starter this week. In Chicago, it happened for 7.5 minutes, with the Bulls winning those minutes 17-13. Houston outscored Indiana by seven in those moments. The full bench group hasn't been successful so far.
But when the Pacers mix and match, things have been fantastic, and the new starting five is +7 so far. The new rotation has some issues to figure out, but it has largely been successful through two games, both of which were wins.
"I think it did," Jackson said when asked if he thought the new rotation helped on defense. "I think everybody... sort of complemented each other."
Carlisle will keep trying to tinker with everything and get the minutes distribution perfected. Brown's soon-coming return to the lineup will change the dynamics. For now, though, the Pacers appear to have pushed the right buttons with their lineup changes. They are defending better than they did before the switch and, most importantly, are 2-0.
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